Premenstrual Syndrome

Studies show that from 25 to 90 per cent of women suffer from this condition and these figures represent only those women who seek treatment. This syndrome comprises varied and multiple symptoms that appear with each period, and subside when it has passed. The symptoms include painful swelling of the breasts or abdomen, temporary weight gain or simply water retention, pains in the stomach, abdomen or lower back, and mood disorders with increased irritability or temporary depression. Researchers have put forth numerous hypotheses to try to explain its onset, but none so far seems to provide all the answers.

Dietary advice

• Reduce your consumption of dairy products before and during your period, as they interfere negatively with oestrogens
• Avoid fats for the same reasons
• Cut down on your salt intake if you tend to retain water during this period
• Eat as much cereals and fibre as you can manage
• Eliminate alcohol and stimulants (tea and coffee) from your diet for this period

Acupuncture

Acupuncture helps regulate the menstrual cycle, calms the nerves, and helps circulatory problems - three good reasons to use it for this syndrome.

Treatment Schedule: Initially, six sessions two weeks apart to bring the syndrome under control; the schedule can then be modified depending on the symptoms and the length of the cycle

Homeopathy

Lac caninum for breast tenderness.
- Four 5c tablets to be sucked slowly like sweets, three to four times a day depending on the symptoms

Lac caninum

- Animal origin: the milk from a mother dog
- The specific homeopathic remedy for pre-menstrual breast pain and tenderness

Folliculinum for its regulating action.
- Four 7c tablets, to be taken once a day, beginning in the second half of the cycle
- If you show signs of hyperfolliculin (nausea, breast tenderness, heaviness in the legs, changes to the cervical mucus) or of marked psychological symptoms (irritability, mood swings), you could take six tablets at a strength of 15c or 30c in one dose
- If not, take this remedy as prescribed, at 7c, for its regulating properties

One homeopathic rule prevails, even though it has not been scientifically confirmed
-Low dilutions (5c) are said to have a stimulating effect
-Average dilutions (7c) are said to have a regulating effect
- High dilutions (15-30c) are said to have either regulating or curbing effects

Folliculinum

-Hormonal origin: diluted, dynamized oestrogen
-This remedy is considered the 'homeopathic hormone treatment'
- Folliculinum is often prescribed by ,professional homeopaths, but there is, still some debate as to its effectiveness, the appropriate dilution to give, and the best time to prescribe it. Some propose it should be given mid-cycle at ovulation, while many give it at the end of the cycle

• You could also try Hormeel@ S (Heel), containing Pulsatilla D4, Sepia D6, Viburnam opulus D3
  -Available in drop bottles containing 30 and 100ml
  - In general. 10 drops 3 times daily
• it is also important that you combine these treatments with a constitutional remedy to be chosen after consultation, with a professional homeopath. Some likely choices are Actaea racemosa, Nux moschata, or Pulsatilla

Actaea racemosa

-Vegetable origin: black cohosh or cmicifuga
- The homeopathic remedy for pain and nervous disorders aggravated by menstruation

Nux moschata

- Vegetable origin: nutmeg
- One of the homeopathic remedies for hysterical symptoms with mood and personality changes

Black cohosh or cimicifuga

This herbaceous plant grows in open woodlands and along fields in North America (Canada and the USA). The plant grows up to two metres tall, with large leaves bearing clusters of small white flowers. Herbal preparations use the plant's dried, fibrous roots and rhizomes, which have a narcotic smell and an acrid taste. Black cohosh was long considered a cure-all by the natives of North America, and used to treat menstrual problems and to hasten along slow deliveries (hence its other name of 'squaw root'). as well as for rheumatic pains, lung ailments, and agitation.

Herbal remedies

Chasteberry, evening primrose, and sage

Prescription: Ask your herbalist to make up 30ml bottle of mother tincture of sage. Take 25 drops in a little water three times a day during the week before your period until it starts.

• You can also try Menosan (Bioforce) Sage drops:
  - Available in tincture form in bottles of 50ml
  - 15 to 20 drops in a little water, 3 times daily before meals

Sage

Sage, from the Latin salvare, to save, has been used as a cure-all since Greek and Roman times, as it helps treat stomach upsets as well as gynaecological problems. Sage has been discovered to contain plant hormones, whose properties help regulate the menstrual cycle and reduce hot flushes.

Evening primrose

This plant with large, yellow flowers grows in rocky soil in North America. The seeds have been pressed for their oil ever since scientific discoveries showed its medicinal use for a wide range of complaints. The key substance in the oil is gamma-linoleic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid responsible for various chemical reactions that are vital for good health. It has been found that borage also contains this acid, but whereas evening primrose primarily benefits gynaecological conditions, borage is more useful for skin complaints.

• Oil of evening primrose is available in Lamberts@ 1000mg, which also contains vitamin E:
  - Available in containers of 90 capsules
  - One to three capsules daily

Vitex agnus castus or chasteberry

Its Latin name, 'agnus-castus', means chaste lamb, and it has been a symbol of chastity since the days of antiquity. The fruits of this pungent tree from Central Asia were used in medieval monasteries as a condiment to dampen sexual appetite (another name for it is 'monk's pepper'). Recent scientific findings show that it also affects the hormonal balance in women and can be used to regulate the menstrual cycle

• You could try Bioforce Agnus castus in tincture form:
  - Available in bottles of 50ml
  - 15 to 20 drops in a little water twice daily

Wild yam

Wild yam was used for centuries in Central America for the relief of menstrual and ovarian pain. In 1936, Japanese researchers found that its effectiveness is due to a chemical substance found in the roots and tubers, diosgenin, a naturally occurring progesterone precursor. The plant has also been found to contain precursors of DHEA dehydroepiandrosterone) , a substance produced in the adrenal glands, which has been much in the news of late.